[Tibbs]

Oh my… I’m really not sure what raw nerves I’ve touched on here! The title of this thread is “Basic Tyre Truer for Scalextric, Carrera, Fly etc” - nothing more.

Our hobby is broad and I truly don’t believe that most of us who have fun with Scalextric, Carrera, Fly etc will ever need anything more than the cheap & nasty rig that I have cheekily called a tyre ‘truer’… although, to be honest, that is what it is. Just not a very sophisticated one.

But it does a job - and the results thrill those who’ve never tried to improve their tyres before. Indeed the results are in the lap times (see post #9). 

I’ve been thrilled seeing guys getting back into the hobby during the pandemic using similar set-ups and getting excited about tuning their Scalextric cars in basic, but effective ways. What depresses me is if enthusiasts see tuning cars as something beyond them - put off by elitism, dense jargon and expensive tools. Improving the performance of a Scalextric, Carrera or Fly model is something everyone can do - very cheaply and easily. Our SlotRacer’s Manual has one such introduction: https://slotracer.online/manual/tuning.php

Of course, be careful sanding tyres with digital chips in place. Ideally remove them. Wherever I’ve written about using a rig like this, I’ve said it loud, clear and often - including in the opening post of this thread.

I also say to anyone wondering whether they should build a rig for nothing or buy a ‘proper’ truer for £150-200… build the rig, experience the benefits of improving tyres - and have fun. If, at some point, you’ve become a proficient car builder, successful club racer and you really need those extra hundredths of a second to get on the top step of the podium, borrow a big-time truer and see if it’s worth investing in your own.

In the meantime, I’m more than happy with what I’ve got and how I ‘do’ this hobby. I appreciate other people ‘do’ it differently. Chacun son truc…

Brilliant post Andy,
I was going to buy the Pendle's one but what you have just written is why I've started getting into this hobby, I find it more rewarding trying to make my own.
Thank you for sharing.